A radio-collared male cheetah cub was found injured in a forest area in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district and rescued by the Forest Department. The circumstances leading to the injuries, including the possibility of poaching or an attack by a mob, are being investigated.In July, the Madhya Pradesh State Tiger Strike Force (STSF) arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in the poaching of 10 leopards in the Shivpuri-Morena landscape, where the cub was found injured.“One of Nirva’s (a six-year-old cheetah) 19-month-old male cubs, ranging in the wild near the Morena Territorial Forest Division, was found injured by the monitoring team on the evening of October 25. He was rescued during the night and brought to Kuno for medical examination and treatment. The cheetah is currently undergoing treatment for the injuries sustained. An investigation is under way to ascertain the cause of the injuries. At this stage, all possible angles are being examined regarding the circumstances leading to the condition of the cheetah,” Kuno Field Director Uttam Sharma said.On October 24, two cheetahs hunted two calves near a village in Morena district. Sources, requesting anonymity, said there was speculation that local villagers had attacked the injured cheetah.However, wildlife activists disputed the claim.Speaking to The Tribune, Ajay Dubey said, “The government compensates the villagers if their cattle are hunted by the cheetahs. There is no reason why villagers would do this. However, this area is prone to poaching activities, and there is no doubt that an attempt was made to poach the cheetah.”Dubey also questioned the efficiency of the cheetah tracking team.“These are radio-collared cheetahs. What was the tracking team doing? This raises serious questions,” he said.Another wildlife activist, Gaurav Bhardwaj, said the cheetah’s spine was almost broken and that it was in critical condition at the Kuno hospital.“My question is to the Kuno cheetah tracking team: Where were these people at that time? Can the Kuno administration’s decision, taken two to three days ago, succeed amid these incidents? The administration had said it would free the cheetahs from the tracking team and allow them to roam freely in the jungle on their own, with radio collars,” he said.Of the 59 cheetahs, seven have died this year. An RTI request seeking the post-mortem reports of cheetahs was denied this year, citing national security.